Hornets swarm Pirates

FULLERTON — Orange Coast College women’s basketball coach Mike Thornton said after his team’s 68-56 Orange Empire Conference setback at Fullerton Wednesday that the Hornets simply wanted it more.

The stat sheet indicates they wanted rebounds nearly twice as badly. How else to explain a 57-30 advantage in that department for the hosts (12-10, 2-1 in conference), ranked No. 9 in Southern California and No. 16 in the state?

“We’re not a very good rebounding team, but we should be able to hold our own,” said Thornton, whose team fell for only the third time in 21 games this season. The Pirates (18-3, 2-1) are ranked No. 3 in Southern California and No. 5 in the state.

But when it came to shooting (33.8% from the field and 25.9% from three-point range), rebounding and defensive decision making, OCC was, for the most part, rank, against the stirred-up Hornets.

“[The hosts] had their backs to the wall, because they’d already lost a home conference game to Saddleback,” Thornton said. “I think the game just meant more to them than it did us.”

Fullerton used a 29-13 first-half rebounding advantage to produce a 29-22 lead. No fewer than 12 of those Hornet rebounds came after their own missed shots. Down, 3-2, the Hornets rebounded four misses on one possession to score on their fifth shot and take the lead for good, 4-3.

Fullerton’s 6-1 sophomore center Amy Richard amassed 21 rebounds to go with a season-high 23 points.

In addition, Kristen Cabral, a 5-11 sophomore collected 14 points and 11 rebounds for the winners, whose aggressiveness also showed up at the free-throw line.

Fullerton made 19 of 26 foul shots, while OCC converted just five of eight.

Fullerton’s desire to attack the basket helped thwart several OCC comebacks, fueled either by sophomore Courtney Ford’s offensive prowess or some deft three-point shooting by sophomore Katie Kissee (four of seven from beyond the arc) and Brittany Taylor (two of four from threedom).

Ford, closing in on the school’s all-time career scoring mark, finished with 25 points and a team-leading 11 boards. But Ford was 11 of 29 from the field (37.9%) and forced a handful of shots, after the OCC offense bogged down in various stretches.

“We didn’t execute at times and we didn’t move the ball very well,” Thornton said of his team’s offensive woes, which were accentuated by Fullerton’s active and determined man-to-man defense.

Ford scored six points in a 10-0 OCC run that closed the first half and opened the second, allowing the visitors to pull within 29-26.

But an inside bucket by Richard, who finished nine of 17 from the field (52.9%), was followed by a three-pointer by Eshell Estrella that upped the Fullerton lead to 34-26 with 18:05 left.

A Ford follow shot and a Kissee three-pointer pulled the Pirates within three, the latter with 9:27 left in the game.

But, after another Kissee three-pointer with 5:07 remaining cut the deficit to 55-51, OCC went more than four minutes without a field goal. OCC, in fact, managed just one point until Ford scored with 1:04 left and, by that time, the Hornets had secured the crucial victory.

Estrella had all 12 of her points after halftime, including a pair of three-pointers, while Sarah Jackson scored five of her seven points after the intermission.

Taylor had 11 point and five rebounds for the Pirates, making four of eight from the field.

But other than Ford, Kissee and Taylor, OCC players were a combined to connect on just one of 15 field-goal attempts.

Ford now needs 23 points to pass Lisa Shumaker atop the school career scoring list. She’ll get that chance Friday, when the Pirates return to action at Golden West at 7 p.m.

Orange Empire Conference

Fullerton 68, Orange Coast 56

OCC – Taylor 11, Ibbotson 0, Ford 25, Kissee 16, Maulit 0, Gomez 4.

3-pt. goals – Kissee 4, Taylor 2, Ford 1.

Fouled out – Ibbotson.

Ful – Cabral 14, Duran 5, Richard 23, Estrella 12, Jackson 7, Olivas 6, Thompson 1.

3-pt. goals – Estrella 2, Jackson 1.

Halftime – FCC, 29-22.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.